Thinkpads Forum

hi,

just want to share my experience with customer support (surprisingly bad one). having problem with recently bought T60 after partitioning and unfortunatelly don't have R&R set. (i know it's dumb)
i'm still in 30 days period so probably should get R&R set for free so i've tried to call 3 times to help centre but just getting into endless que where to get a free agent can take hours. so i fired messages to all support email addresses i was able to find on ibm website but just got general response recommending to call help centre.

could anybody recommend me some email address or something where i can just send my details & address and they post the cds?
tia
kr.

Email is no use. You better call them and make sure that someone pick up your call. Just keep calling till you get someone to reply you.

You use email, you need to wait for the next day to receive their reply and you waste your time. Call them and at least you can speak to a real person and you can describe your problem and see how they respond in real time.

*just based on my experience. If i do not get the service i want from IBM/Lenovo, i will make endless calls to attract the attention i want and most of the time, they give in to me.*

Leave your contact number with them and ask them to call you when there is a free support staff available.

I have just sent an email to them. Read your PM.

Interesting. IBM sent me the CD's a few weeks after i got my t60p and needed the disks. Now they are sending me 2 new RAM chips b/c mine are part of some defective batch they said. And they are also sending me a NEW set of CD's, as they say the part numbers for the CD's have changed since i got my last set. Keep trying, as it shouldnt be hard to get the CD"s. Tell them that the ones you burned dont work.

@stephenaron,

Interesting. IBM sent me the CD\'s a few weeks after i got my t60p and needed the disks. Now they are sending me 2 new RAM chips b/c mine are part of some defective batch they said. And they are also sending me a NEW set of CD\'s, as they say the part numbers for the CD\'s have changed since i got my last set. Keep trying, as it shouldnt be hard to get the CD\"s. Tell them that the ones you burned dont work.

Good to know that IBM/Lenovo at your area provide such a good service. Which country do you reside in?

Wacky, you might want to try calling really late at night. I tend to call with problems around 2-3am, and I am in talking to a tech almost instantly.

IBM replied my mail

I refer to your e-mail dated 29/10/06 regarding recovery.

Thank you for contacting ibm.com Service Centre with your enquiry.

If the machine is still within 30 days from purchase, your friend should return to the dealership/supplier/reseller, whichever the machine was purchased from. Here he should request a recovery CD.

If we can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us at ibm_crc@uk.ibm.com.

Any requests sent through to the representative directly will not be actioned immediately.


Kind regards
XXXXXXXXX
ERC Helpdesk
IMBPD Delivery Centre,EMEA
Please reply to: ibm_crc@uk.ibm.com
Tel: 0870 542 6426
Website: www.ibm.com/uk

I censored the support rep name.

Hi

Maybe I could help you..just PM me you ThinkPad serial and model and I pass that info.When I will get reply I'll inform you about results.

Regards

NS wrote: IBM replied my mail

I refer to your e-mail dated 29/10/06 regarding recovery.

Thank you for contacting ibm.com Service Centre with your enquiry.

If the machine is still within 30 days from purchase, your friend should return to the dealership/supplier/reseller, whichever the machine was purchased from. Here he should request a recovery CD.

If we can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us at ibm_crc@uk.ibm.com.

Any requests sent through to the representative directly will not be actioned immediately.


Kind regards
XXXXXXXXX
ERC Helpdesk
IMBPD Delivery Centre,EMEA
Please reply to: ibm_crc@uk.ibm.com
Tel: 0870 542 6426
Website: www.ibm.com/uk

I censored the support rep name.

1st of all thank you for your attemp to explain my problem via e-mail to support guys.

then to the response. it's kinda funny again cause reseller was the 1st person (before I turned out on IBM) whom I asked for R&R set. his response was:

Hello,

I have spoken to our Customer Services team and they have advised the
quickest way to resolve this situation is if you go to IBM support and
they can direct you to the system recovery download and will be able to
send you out a replacement disc. Usually the recovery partition is
installed on the hard-drive of the machine before it is shipped so it
may already be on the machine. Also many manufacturers are shipping
their hardware without the recovery discs, I believe as a deterrent to
piracy. But if you contact IBM tech Support they will be best equipped
to resolve your trouble in the smallest amount of time. You can contact
them on: 0870-909-9997

Kindest Regards

I'd like to speak to someone from support but phone charges are not so low that i can spend an hour waiting and listening to "Thank you for you patience. None of our agents is free at the moment bla bla ..."

Maybe night hours call might be the way. Will give it a try.

thanks for all suggestions
kr.

I just received my new CD's from IBM, and they are dated Sept 2006. My old CD's were dated December 2005. These CD's are great b/c the image they put on the t60p is much more up to date than the one it shipped with months ago. Didnt have to really update anything after the CD's completed their install. Worth getting the new ones.

@krajicek,

if it still don't work, then you need to post your thinkpad model number and ask for someone who can ship the recovery CDs to you.

But i hoped that you can call the support rep at 1am early in the morning and i am sure your call be picked up immediately. Only owls like me will still be awake until 3am before i started to doze off.

Good Luck.

now i'm really [censored] off and dissapointed in the same time. i've heard a loadz of hyms on the quality of ibm/lenovo support. but now it all seems like BS.

i made few more calls to the recommended phone number in different day times (even early in the morning) - i'm starting to have a feeling that nobody's working there just answering machine playing the same disgusting song in a loop and thanking me for me patience... ...seems i'm just throwing money out of the window

i sent also emails (inluding all details necessary for disc set posting - machine type & serial, problem description, date of purchase & me address details & phone) via ibm website or directly to ibmenquire@ie.ibm.com, support_uk@uk.ibm.com, ibm_crc@uk.ibm.com, ... they confirmed that i should get system restore disc set for free while i'm in warranty and recommended me that 'cool' phone line i mentioned above

now it's 3rd week from my first attempt...thinking about to contact some CEO or sombody who can affect what's going on in customer service.

i'm honestly disgusted
kr.

krajicek wrote:now i'm really [censored] off and dissapointed in the same time. i've heard ...

Well, remember this saying:

If you fail once, try, try again.

krajicek wrote:now i'm really [censored] off and dissapointed in the same time. i've heard a loadz of hyms on the quality of ibm/lenovo support. but now it all seems like BS.

It varies from country to country. In Singapore, the support is fantastic.

krajicek wrote:i made few more calls to the recommended phone number in different day times (even early in the morning) - i'm starting to have a feeling that nobody's working there just answering machine playing the same disgusting song in a loop and thanking me for me patience... ...seems i'm just throwing money out of the window

Call another country's support and ask them to ship the R&R to you or you can ask some members from here who have the same thinkpad model as yours to burn a copy and ship to you the recovery disks.

krajicek wrote:i sent also emails (inluding all details necessary for disc set posting - machine type & serial, problem description, date of purchase & me address details & phone) via ibm website or directly to ibmenquire@ie.ibm.com, support_uk@uk.ibm.com, ibm_crc@uk.ibm.com, ... they confirmed that i should get system restore disc set for free while i'm in warranty and recommended me that 'cool' phone line i mentioned above

now it's 3rd week from my first attempt...thinking about to contact some SEO or sombody who can affect what's going on in customer service.

i'm honestly disgusted
kr.

Use harsher tones in your mails.
I am also very disgusted with your country's Lenovo support after reading your post.

...or you can ask some members from here who have the same thinkpad model as yours to burn a copy and ship to you the recovery disks.

Thank you NS for moral support but this is a fundamental question. i believe the price of pre-installed operating system is a part of total thinkpad's price. it means all of us (or at least the most of) paid for it. i just want something i paid for...

... do you think that to contact CEO should be the way?

kr.

that's ludicrous - just go another response from customer support:

Dear

IBM/Lenovo provides free software support for the first 30 days after the purchase of the machine.

For software support, please call us on +44 1475 555 055, or for hardware please call +44 8705 500 900. Please have the type and serial number ready since you will be asked for it.

Alternatively, you can find your country's helpdesk phone number at this address: http://www.ibm.com/planetwide/

Please note that the software support is chargeable after the first 30 days.
Hardware support is free during the warranty period.

Regards,
IBM/Lenovo Support


IBM Personal Computing Division
http://www.ibm.com/pc/support

sent them back response with overview of my attempts, details [AGAIN] and note that if no action is taken i'm gonna forward all my messages & reponses in this regard to CEO, IBM Vice President & IBM Ireland General Manager)
hope this will move things a bit
kr.

krajicek wrote:

...or you can ask some members from here who have the same thinkpad model as yours to burn a copy and ship to you the recovery disks.

Thank you NS for moral support but this is a fundamental question. i believe the price of pre-installed operating system is a part of total thinkpad's price. it means all of us (or at least the most of) paid for it. i just want something i paid for...

... do you think that to contact CEO should be the way?

kr.

Don't use email.
You write in a letter and direct the letter to the CEO of IBM/Lenovo support in your country. And label that letter as private & Confidential and to be opened by the addresse only!

things have moved ahead,

this:

3. i'm disappointed and disgusted with this level of services so if no action is taken within next 24 hours i'm ready to send copy of whole email conversation between me and customer support office to Mr. Samuel J. Palmisano (IBM President and CEO), Mr. Michael E. Daniels (Vice President, IBM Global Services), Mr. Michael Daly (IBM Ireland General Manager) and other persons that can make steps to improve customer support office in Ireland.

probably worked cause i've just got a phone call from UK support office (weird not from Ireland but from UK) and lady asked me few questions and confirmed that they are going to post System recovery set to me. Will take 10 days.

kr.

@krajicek,

Dear Sir,

I refer to your e-mail dated 10/11/2006 regarding your request for a recovery disk..

I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the lack of service afforded to you.

Thank you for contacting ibm.com Service Centre with your enquiry.

The ITS department may be able to help you. Unfortunately they do not have an e-mail address but can be contacted on 01.8811444. Please call Monday-Friday between 0900 and 1800.

If we can be of any further assistance please don't hesitate to contact us at ibmenquire@ie.ibm.com and not the senders address.

The representative's email Inbox is not monitored on a daily basis and therefore any requests sent through to the representative's directly will not be actioned immediately.

Regards

XXXXXXXXX

IMBPD Delivery Centre,EMEA
Tel: 01 881 0166
Email: ibmenquire@ie.ibm.com
Website: http://www.ibm.com/ie

I censored the rep's name for privacy.

just last update on this.

package arrived today:

set of 5 Product Recovery CDs
+
Rescue and Recovery CD
+
instructions how to use the set

i'm happy with quick delivery. (sent from Budapest (HU))
just wondering why they don't ship these sets automatically with each new ThinkPad

kr.

What is the difference between the R&R CD's you get from Lenovo and the ones you can create with the Thinkvantage suite?

hmmm, I think most ppl using IBM in the United States have good experience on customer service, am I right?
At least I had. I got my T42 2 years ago, and I also formated my entire HD. I called IBM ( not lenovo at that time) to request restore CDs, and I believed that they did a good job on it , for they choose DHL overnight shipping for me( I am surprised for that) with free charge. However, they did send wrong CDs to me( gee, they are T40 CDs), so I had to call them again to request T42 CDS. At the begining, they told me there were no differences between T42 and T40 ( [censored] me off at that time), so I just told them my laptop was T42 not T40, if they did not want to send me new sets, it was totally OK ( I was [censored] and mean at that time), then I hung up the phone. Guess what? I got call back 5 mins later, the guys apologized for his service and told me my new T42 cds will be sent by DHL overnight shipping again. wooha.
On the other hand, they sometimes are slack. I got my T42 LCD repaired in this year, but before I talked to customer service by phone, I was waitting on line for 45 mins. WTF!!!!!!!!! Maybe it is Lenovo right now, that s why.